Crossroads
by JennnyJ
Summary: Merlin is left with a choice - Arthur or Hunith? Camelot or Ealdor? Fulfilling his destiny or not? please r&r!


___Wihoo, once again I have accepted s i l v e r a u r o r a'swriting challenge and this time I had to write about Hunithand Arthur (wich was great fun!).  
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My object was a crossroad and the quotes I was given was;  
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Quote 1: shut your eyes and think of somewhere, somewhere cold and caked in snow." (Shut Your Eyes, Snow Patrol)_

_Quote 2: "Stop talking, brain thinking, hush." (The Doctor, Doctor Who: Vampires of Venice)_

I hope you'll enjoy it! Please leave a review when you're done reading!

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The great snowstorm grew worse and worse as a tiny spot was seen upon the snow caked mountain not far away from the little village Ealdor.  
The fair-haired man who rode upon a black horse was shivering by cold as he tried to make it go faster with a stubborn, determined look in his handsome face.  
Unseen by the people of Ealdor, the young man with royal emblems attached to his clothes headed towards a tiny cottage at the border of the village.

After leaving the horse in a nearby stable, the blond man headed towards the door, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed by his attendance.  
_'Oh come on Arthur'_, he said to himself as he stood at the door with his hand raised in a knock. _'You are the King of Camelot, of course you have the right to be here.'  
_So, with a deep breath he knocked.  
There was a moment of silent before he heard footsteps moving towards him; nervously he backed, allowing the door to open.

"_Arthur?_"  
Arthur couldn't help smiling goofily as he saw the heavy mess of raven black hair.  
Merlin, his former manservant, tried to collect himself as he once again stood in front of his master.  
"Oh, do come in", he said with a fumbling bow and Arthur entered the small house.  
"Well, after traveling through the snowstorm all the way from Camelot, I did hope that you'd let me in", he tried to joke, but there was an awkward silent between them as they both thought that he was lucky that Merlin even talked to him.  
He was lead to the table where he was seated, watching his former manservant preparing dinner.

"Where's Hunith?" He asked as there was no sign of his mother. Merlin gave him a fast, almost hesitating look before he returned to the cauldron in front of him.  
"She's not here", he said with a low voice. "There was this thing she wanted to fix - I dunno when she'll be back."  
Arthur simply nodded as he rose from the chair.  
"Well, what should I do?" He asked and Merlin turned around again, his bright eyes fixed upon him with a surprising look.  
"What you should do?" He repeated, trying to remember the last time Arthur wanted to help out making dinner.

A frail smile took place on the former servant's lips as he remembered the tournament when Arthur was staying at Gwen's house.  
"Well, 'cause we both know that you're not that good in cooking", he raised his hands in a 'what?-that's-true'-way when Arthur sent him a offended look. "You can make the table."  
Pleased with the easy chore, Arthur nodded and started putting out the plates, assuming that Hunith would be back in time for dinner.  
"How are you these days, anyway?"  
Merlin's voice broke the silent between them and Arthur smiled vaguely as he placed the knives and forks beside the plates.

"I'm fine", he said. "The funeral was yesterday."  
There came no '_I'm sorry'_, but Arthur didn't expect it to – after all, his father was the reason of why Merlin left Camelot the first place.  
'_No he wasn't'_, His mind brutally reminded him. '_You where the main reason, you and your stupid dignity'_  
"How are you?" He asked, trying to ignore the thoughts of his.  
"I'm fine", Merlin answered as he started to fill one of the deep plates with something that looked more like water with carrots and potatoes than vegetable soup. "Though, the villagers aren't that pleased with me back here, they are a bit afraid of me now that they know-"

"They know?" Arthur interrupted. "Why did you tell them?"  
"I didn't", Merlin's voice sounded more like a whisper as he reached him the plate with soup before he continued filling his own. "You did."  
Arthur shut his eyelids as he remembered that day for almost two years ago.  
_"I've done nothing else than protect you from harm!" Merlin cried as he looked up at his master, his bleeding hands tied to the horse. "You cannot do this-"  
They had now reached the boarder of Ealdor, people starting to gathering around them with curiosity in their eyes.  
"You are magic, Merlin", Arthur's voice was filled with hatred and betrayal. "You should be glad that I spare your pathetic life-"_

Arthur shook his head, forcing the memories to disappear.  
Merlin started to eat, trying not to look at him as tears burst up in the corner of his eyes.  
"I'm sorry", the King of Camelot whispered with a low voice, no longer feeling as King_ish_ as he used to. "I didn't know what else to do-"  
The black haired boy shrugged. "I suppose I should have expected that."  
Arthur opened his mouth to ask what he meant with that when the door opened and Hunith entered the house with a broad smile upon her lips.  
The smile faded as she saw Arthur and she curtseyed dutifully, Arthur rose from the chair and bowed deeply, feeling more and more stupid as the time went.  
_Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea._  
"I'm sorry for intruding" he said, but the woman shook her head with a firm smile.  
"If Merlin has let you in, then you are welcome", she said and kissed Merlin's cheek before she attended the dinner.

"How are Gaius and Guinevere?" Merlin asked as the last of the soup was eaten. "They are alright I hope?"  
Arthur nodded, polite fetching Hunith the plates as she started doing the dishes.  
"They are alright", he said quietly. "Both of them are."  
"Good", Merlin clapped his hands together, an awkward silent spread in the cottage.  
All by a sudden, Hunith turned around with a stiff smile upon her lips.  
"Merlin dear, would you fetch me some wood from the barn?" She asked. Merlin was about to object when he saw her look and nodded.  
Arthur looked confused, as if he didn't know if he would stay or go.  
"I'll soon be back, sire", Merlin said, giving Arthur an excusing smile, easily falling back into old habits.

Hunith stood silent 'til her son had closed the front door behind him, then she fixed her eyes upon Arthur who swallowed nervously.  
"What are your attentions towards him?" She asked and a puzzled look appeared in the young king's eyes.  
"I'm sorry m'lady", he said. "I dunno what you're talking about?"  
"I'm talking about you, defying the snowstorm to get here; surely you're not here just for the visit?"  
Arthur closed his eyes, not prepared to have this talk with Merlin's mother.  
"I've come to tell him that I'm sorry and that I was wrong", he whispered, not wanting to meet her judging eyes. "I want him to return with me to Camelot."  
"Where you'll have him beheaded?" Hunith's voice grew louder and angrier. Arthur's head snapped up and he met her gaze with big eyes.  
"No!" He burst out. "Of course not!"

"I've seen what your father has done toward those who are magic", she said with low, warning voice. "I don't say that I never had faith in you, that I thought you different, but after what you did to my son almost two years ago I cannot trust you."  
Arthur shook his head, guilt marking his face.  
"I know that my doings was wrong, that it was _I_ if anyone who would have deserved that awful treatment of mine", he said with tears in his big, blue eyes. "Now I just want my friend back, the only one stopping me from going crazy."  
Hunith opened her mouth to answer when the door opened and Merlin entered the house, snowflakes in his messy black hair and cheeks burning red of cold. His arms full of logs.  
"Have I missed anything?" He asked as he deserted the wood in front of the hearth. His eyes traveled from Arthur's upset face to his mother's forehead which was wrinkled by anger.

Hunith shook her head with a reassuring smile. "No my dear, you've missed nothing of value."  
"Actually Merlin-", Arthur began despite to the look from the boy's mother. "I want you to come back to Camelot."  
There was a silence. Merlin stared at Arthur with doubt in his eyes.  
"And what do you want me to do there? Mock your stables? Clean your armor? Loose my head?" He shook his head and scratched his arm. "No Arthur, I'll stay in Ealdor. Neither you or Camelot needs me."  
"I want you to tell me when I'm being a royal prat, to argue with me when I really don't have the patience, I want my friend back Merlin", Arthur said, stumbling on his words in the hurry of having them said. "Not the servant, the friend."

Once again, silent filled the room and both Hunith and Arthur looked at Merlin with wondering eyes, trying to figure out what was going on inside his head.  
"Milord, you really shouldn't do this to him", Hunith said with an upset voice. "Do you really believe that he will choose _you_ over his home and family? After all you've done-"  
"Stop talking. Brain thinking, hush!" Merlin said as he sank down onto one of the chairs. Arthur smiled at the typical Merlin sentence and tried not to listen to what his brain told him.  
_'He will never be able to forgive you', 'Hunith is right, Merlin belongs here in Ealdor where his family is, not in Camelot with you'_

"So I believe I've came to a crossroad", Merlin said with his eyes closed. "Camelot or Ealdor, Serve the king or help my mother, Fulfill my destiny or not."  
Hunith walked towards her son, embracing him with a sad smile upon her lips.  
"I don't want to stand in your way, my son", she whispered. "Not as long as I know that your choices will make you happy, that you will be all right."  
Merlin opened his eyelids and smiled to his mother, Arthur felt his heart sink.  
_'Of course he would choose his mother, who wouldn't?_'  
"Then I'll go with Arthur to Camelot"

Arthur stared at him, Hunith just nodded and stroke his raven black hair.  
"Why?" He stumbled, not believing his own ears. "After all I've done?"  
Merlin smiled, raising up from his chair.  
"As I said before; I should have expected your actions", he said calmly. "I did wrong, keeping my magic a secret for you for such a long time. You trusted me fully, but I didn't trust you."  
Arthur closed his eyelids, a sort of relief flowed over him.  
"We was both wrong", he said with a frail smile. "If you don't mind, I'd wish for us to leave the first thing tomorrow, Camelot kind of need their king to be home."  
Merlin nodded, turning towards his mother.  
"I'll be fine mom", he whispered as tears fell down her cheeks. "You can always come and visit me and vice versa."

Early next morning both Merlin and Arthur sat upon their horses, taking farewell of Hunith.  
"Do you take care of him, Arthur Pendragon", she warned. "King or not, I'll not be pleased if any harm came to him."  
"I'll do my very best, m'lady", Arthur said with a smile, feeling strangely happy with his friend at his side again.  
"Farewell mother", Merlin said with such a warm smile that it surely would be able to melt the snow. "I'll send your greetings to Gaius and remember that we'll meet again at Christmas."  
So, the young boys rode through the little village of Ealdor, broad smiles upon their lips.  
"Now that you are king-", Merlin started as they reached the snow caked mountain.  
"Yes?"  
"How are you going to do with your affections toward Gwen?" There was an teasing tone in the dark haired boy's voice and Arthur groaned, trying not to show him his smile.  
"Oh shut up Merlin!"

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